


to prove one's worth

by sureimiku



Category: Tales of Xillia
Genre: Character Study, Fighting, Gen, Healing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-06
Updated: 2020-09-06
Packaged: 2021-03-07 01:48:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,340
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26328910
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sureimiku/pseuds/sureimiku
Summary: Jude’s eyes widened a bit as he took in the sight of Milla’s one and only handmaid, standing some feet away from him. “Ivar? Why— what are you doing here?”“Fight me,” Ivar told him straight up without sugarcoating words.{day 6 of xillia week; xian du/fight}
Relationships: Ivar & Jude Mathis
Comments: 8
Kudos: 10
Collections: Tales of Xillia Week





	to prove one's worth

**Author's Note:**

> remember how you meet ivar before entering xian du? i would have expected him to lash out and fight jude again, but that monster stood in the way lol. i really like the dynamics between these two, and how most of the fights are purely motivated by ivar wanting to ensure milla has a well-enough companion to keep her safe :')

The coliseum fight earlier was exhausting, after brawling and pushing through at least five waves of enemies. Jude never knew how powerful clans could be until today's matches. At least this would get them the wyverns, right? At least he could help Milla somehow. 

After getting ready for the night, Jude decided to gaze upon the night sky stars as an attempt to get his nerves calmed. The rush of water from the canal underground provided the perfect scene to relax. It had taken a few days for events to catch up to him; Leia joined them, their old companions returned after weeks, and now they were going to fight in the coliseum finals for the sole reason of continuing their journey. 

The sudden sound of footsteps approaching from the town entrance alerted Jude, and he backed up a little towards the inn door. He didn’t have his bracers, and the dark made it impossible to see who it was. Once their hair came into sight, Jude deemed it safe to approach them (or was it really safe?).

Jude’s eyes widened a bit as he took in the sight of Milla’s one and only handmaid, standing some feet away from him. “Ivar? Why— what are you doing here?” 

“Fight me,” Ivar told him straight up without sugarcoating words. He didn’t draw his swords out immediately, waiting for a response first before he did so. 

“What? It’s night time, people are sleeping—”

 _“Fight me.”_ The words this time are twice as harsh and demanding. “I didn’t wait two days just to be declined.” There was really no point in arguing back. Jude guessed that after a few punches or two the handmaid would give up. And maybe, just maybe, Ivar would leave him alone after this fight. 

The silence and tension between the two of them were suffocating. Sighing, Jude made way for the inn door. “I need to get my bracers. Hang on.” He really couldn’t believe he was going to have yet another one on one with the stubborn boy, let alone in the darkest hours of night. 

In response, Ivar tapped his foot against the stone ground, showing obvious signs of impatience. “Make it quick, phony.” 

It took the medical student all he could to tiptoe into the room and quietly remove his bracers that sat next to his bed. He couldn’t even think of a way to explain to one of his companions that he was going to fight past their bedtime; let alone tell them it was _Ivar._

Jude returned in his usual garbs and fighting equipment, tightening and adjusting them a bit more. “Where are we going? It’s too dark to head out to the high road. We can just wait until morning.” 

“The tunnel will do. It’s lit up by fire anyway, and no one’s there. I already checked.” He matched towards said area, giving Jude the signal to follow. 

Well, so much for trying to convince him about talking things out. Not like that was the handmaid’s strong suit, anyway. If anything he at least had the common sense to move someplace else to not cause a disturbance. Xian Du was surprisingly quiet when it was late at night; during the daytime children would be running all over, and the giant pennants flew with grace, signifying that the city was truly the capital of coliseum heroes. 

Once they reached midway through the tunnel, Ivar wasted no time drawing his dual daggers and assumed a battle stance. “Don’t think I’m going to go easy on you because we’re on city grounds!” They were pretty far from the inn now, yet still a distance away from the exit towards the snowy region. If Jude really wanted to escape then he had no choice but to take down Ivar first. 

It went down like this: Ivar had charged towards Jude in an instant, sending his daggers in a zigzag motion. After he blocked, he’d chained artes flawlessly; _grave, light spear, rending slash._ Rinse and repeat. It was easy for Jude to memorize this pattern, with his opponent’s attacks being easily predictable. Snap pivot was his key point to winning this fight, and that’s exactly what happened. After a whirl around him, accompanied by a few punches and artes, Ivar fell to the ground with a thud. 

“Curses!” He hissed, his daggers flying out of his hands. The victor was obvious and the battle was as good as done. But the price of that very fight was having bruises everywhere; his sides, arms, and even a scratch on his face from colliding with the ground. 

“Here.” The younger boy tenderly extended a hand out to the loser of the fight. Perhaps this is the reason why he earned the title of a do-gooder; even in situations like these, he felt inclined to help. Some part of him would nag him until he did the right thing. 

“I— I don’t need help!” Ivar propped himself up in his elbows and made an effort to sit up, but his arms gave up on him. He collapsed back to the earthy ground. “Crap, how hard did you punch me? It _hurts_!”

“I just tried to defend myself.” Jude knelt on the ground next to Ivar, hovering his palms over his arms. “We didn’t have to fight, you know.”

“What?” His injuries had disappeared before he could even finish his sentence. His bruised arms and side were back to normal— thanks to Jude himself. Once that was done, a finger was placed a little too close to his cheek, warm light stitching his scratch back to normal. Ivar would be lying if he said he wasn’t a tad bit flustered by this action. He couldn’t push the fact away that the person he challenged and lost to had the nerve to heal him. This was _embarrassing_. 

“I didn’t tell you I needed healing!” The handmaid scurried away, distancing himself from Jude. “I don’t need help from someone who—”

“I helped because I _wanted_ to. I’m not doing it because I feel bad that you lost. To be honest, I thought you would have gotten back up on your feet and fought me again.” A pause, and then he continued. “I don’t understand why we can’t just talk things out. I’m not trying to be better than you or anything.” 

Ivar blinked. “No. You’re clearly trying to steal my place from Lady Milla’s side! I should be the one next to her!” 

“Are you prepared to do that?” Jude’s voice echoed throughout the cave. “You’re a good fighter, I won’t deny it, but can you handle her getting hurt? Handle her when she’s dead set on something you don’t want her to do? Because we— me and the others— have experienced _both_.”

The older boy blinked again, his mouth dropping the slightest. “Milla gave you a task to protect the village. Do you know why she did that? It’s because she has full faith in you. She knows you’re capable enough of protecting those close to her, and if you ask me, that’s a heavy task to bear.” Ivar couldn’t believe Milla’s little pet was beating sense into him. “Don’t think I’m trying to prove that I’m the stronger one here. I just want to help Milla accomplish her mission.” Jude made his way back towards town, no longer seeing a reason to be there. Ivar just sat there, absolutely bewildered. 

He still wouldn’t forgive Jude, for acting like he was all high and mighty and knew exactly what to say. (Well, he _did_ know how to talk to Ivar). He might’ve hated Jude with every fiber of his being, and how he was better than him in some areas. 

Ivar discarded that thought as he exited the cave in the same direction Jude had gone. All he could do was protect the village for Milla’s sake. 

All he could do was at least put a small amount of faith in Jude, and he’d better protect Milla with his entire damn _life._


End file.
